This invention relates in general to mixing valves for combining fluids from two separate sources into one mixture, and more specifically to a mixing valve for an aircraft cleaning apparatus having two inlets A and B, and one outlet, wherein the outlet mixture comprises a solution ranging from 0% inlet A fluid, 100% inlet B fluid to 100% inlet A fluid, 0% inlet B fluid.
Pressurized cleaning apparatuses are well known and comprise many different: forms. For example, a garden hose connected to a typical household faucet may be used to provide a source of pressurized "tap" water for a variety of cleaning needs. In order applications, such as a public car wash, a mechanism is provided for selecting pressurized water only, or a predetermined mixture of pressurized water and a concentrate such as soap or wax. A smaller vehicle cleaning system which operates on this principal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,960. Likewise, a drain cleaning apparatus operating in this manner is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,113. A Larger system employing this principal for cleaning commercial aircraft is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,753.
In many of the cleaning apparatus previously described, some type of valve apparatus is employed to allow one fluid to intermix with another fluid, thereby providing a solution of predetermined concentration. Such a system using an aspirator-transfer valve is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,526. Other valve configurations, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,245, permit the mixing together of two liquids according to plurality of predetermined proportion settings.
In the commercial airline industry, aircraft are typically cleaned extensively on a yearly basis by "teams" of airline employees. Such a task usually involves the use of a variety of cleaning agents and bulky cleaning machinery. It would therefore be desirable provide a stand-alone cleaning apparatus that would allow multiple users to accomplish specific cleaning task without disrupting the other members of the team. It would further be desirable to provide each user with complete control over the strength of the particular cleaning solution being used. Such a system must therefore be capable of providing a constant pressure cleaning solution to each user wherein the cleaning agent to water ratio is continuously adjustable.